Dunford Grove<\/a> produces award-winning olive oil, olives, dukkah and soap from their spray-free grove.<\/p>\nW\u0101naka<\/p>\n
Whether you\u2019re here for adventure or a week of doing very little, W\u0101naka will provide. What\u2019s more, the oh-so-stylish Crumb Bakehouse will be your new morning local. Be sure to wander around The Precinct for prezzies, once thoroughly nourished.<\/p>\n
Housed under one roof just outside town centre, b.social and their brewery component, b.effect, is a preferred watering hole. Muttonbird, tucked down an alley off Ardmore St, pairs world-class dining with snow-capped views. Quirky and delicious in equal measure.<\/p>\n
In a 100-year-old cottage on Brownston St, you\u2019ll find fabulous homewares, linen, prints and flowers. That\u2019s The Workroom, and they\u2019ll handle the rest of your Christmas list. The Green in Luggate will also lend a hand, a playground out back for the kids.<\/p>\n
For something more active, Bike Glendhu offers 35km of trails through 1000 gorgeous hectares with Velo Cafe & Beer Garden on-site. Want to see out the year on top of a mountain? Hit up Aspiring Guides for a bespoke backcountry adventure.<\/p>\n
And finally, the perfect place to stay, after all this shopping, eating and adventuring, is The Camp. Bell tents, domes, and The Secret Sauna, all at the edge of Lake H\u0101wea. Over half a century of holidaymakers can\u2019t be wrong.<\/p>\n
Queenstown<\/p>\n
Queenstown needs no introduction, but it does reward those who look beyond the obvious \u2013 revealing a side of town that can feel like home for the holidays.<\/p>\n
Nestled in historic Dudley\u2019s Cottage, Rifters Tasting Room showcases some of Aotearoa\u2019s best small-batch spirits (ideal stocking stuffers). Pop next door to Dishery, a beloved local cafe, before visiting the Historic Chinese Village.<\/p>\n
Fancy a Christmas drink? Wharf Bar boasts lake views and wood-fired pizza, while nearby Perky\u2019s Floating Bar is exactly what it sounds like. It\u2019s hard to whittle down 200 wineries, but Mora Wines, Mt Rosa and Kinross (with quaint cottage accommodation) are all worth the detour.<\/p>\n
![\"Spend]()
Spend your Sunday sipping Christmas cocktails, soaking up lake views and discovering world-class wineries. Photo \/ Neat Places<\/p>\n
A working farm until 2006, Country Lane in Frankton is a charming village of boutiques, workshops, and home to Sundays, a standout pizzeria in a lovingly restored church. Horses, goats, bunnies and kids roam freely here. Parents savour a well-deserved break.<\/p>\n
Frank\u2019s Corner stocks handcrafted treasures from more than 80 New Zealand artists, and they\u2019ve also opened in Glenorchy with a real fruit ice cream cart outside during summer. Speaking of summer, the beloved Remarkables Market will run Saturdays, doubling for Christmas.<\/p>\n
And if you thought that Queenstown couldn\u2019t squeeze in another \u201conly here\u201d experience, think again. Literally bobbing on Lake Wakatipu, Watershed Saunas is Aotearoa\u2019s first floating sauna and the perfect holiday reset.<\/p>\n
![\"Only]()
Only in Queenstown: a floating sauna bobbing on Lake Wakatipu for the perfect holiday reset. Photo \/ Neat Places<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Popular holiday spots are booking up early for Christmas, urging early planning for better accommodation. Photo \/ Neat…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":468808,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[2840,36671,28822,2108,18399,68195,2245,189,50246,13419,117,111,139,425,69,2847,24352,213,10041,24359,61,80],"class_list":["post-468807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-across","tag-always","tag-beautiful","tag-book","tag-christmas","tag-destinations","tag-early","tag-holiday","tag-homegrown","tag-june","tag-new","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-now","tag-nz","tag-only","tag-secure","tag-sports","tag-spots","tag-these","tag-to","tag-zealand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=468807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468807\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/468808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=468807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=468807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=468807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}